For the impact of one new Dana moving north of the Levante side of Spaina new red alert was launched by the Civil Protection with es-Alert messages for torrential rain, which hit the province of Castellon, Catalonia and the province of Barcelona from the early hours of the morning.
The strong storms that have hit the entire region since this morning have forced, according to the latest estimates, the cancellation of 70 departing flights and the diversion of another 18 to Barcelona-El Prat airport. The rains also caused some flooding until midday in the T-1 concourses and in the parking lot, where workers were working to remove the water that had entered and restore normality. To deal with the situation, a crisis committee has been set up at the airport to monitor the impact of the rains.
In total, six regions of the province of Barcelona were affected by the floods: Vallès Occidental, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Garraf, Maresme and Vallès Oriental, causing flooding of roads and the suspension of train services. Traffic on the AP7 motorway was interrupted near Tarragona. The alert from the state meteorology agency concerns the entire coast of Barcelona, for precipitation accumulated in 12 hours of 180 liters per square meter, which will mainly affect the Baix Llobregat area.
Meanwhile, flooding in the tunnel at El Prat de Llobregat of the high-speed line connecting Barcelona with Madrid has forced the rapid connection service between Gaudi’s city and Tarragona to be interrupted, according to what the Transport Minister reported Oscar Puente in a message on the social network Connections on the Rodalies network of regional connections in Catalonia are also suspended.
Also the Port of Barcelona has interrupted operations due to the consequences of Dana which hit the region. The port authority informed in a statement on social media that operations in the container terminals of Apm, Hutchison, Port Best and Delta Deport were interrupted as a result of the torrential rains that moved from the south to the north of the coast of the Iberian Levant, with serious consequences especially in the Barcelona area. Operations in the port and access to the terminals were interrupted in the Best terminal from 2pm to 8pm, while Delta Deport suspended operations “until further notice”.
Civil protection has issued aalert for the flooding of the Llobregat river, which crosses the metropolitan area of the southern suburbs of Barcelona and ends a very short distance from the city’s airport. «Notice for increased flow of the Llobregat river. The flow rate is much higher than average. Exceeding the danger threshold in Sant Vicenç dels Horts. Don’t go near the banks!”, reads a message spread on social media. Alerts are also active for other waterways in Catalonia due to heavy rainfall reported or forecast in the area.
Governor of Catalonia: “Avoid mobility and maximum precaution”
The Catalan president Salvador Illa asked the citizens of all the Catalan provinces affected by the Civil Protection red alert to “take the utmost precaution” and “to follow the advice and recommendations of the emergency services”. In the alert relaunched by the Generalitat government, it is insisted on the need to move away from streams and canals, due to the torrential rains, intense since yesterday especially in the provinces of Tarragona and Garraf and which have been lashing the hinterland and coast of Barcelona since this morning , but also places in Tarragona and Baix Llobregat, such as Castelldefels and Gavà. «The rainfall is very intense.», reports the red warning issued by the Generalitat. «It is very important to follow this advice: avoid mobility. School is a safe place. Don’t go pick up the kids. Workers are recommended to stay in their jobs,” he added. From midnight yesterday to 2pm today, the Generalitat limited mobility, except for situations of force majeure and essential services. And it suspended school, university and sports activities in the areas of the province of Tarragona del’Alt Camp, Baix Camp, Ebro, Baix Penedes, Montsià, Pnorat, Ribera d’Ebro, Taggagones and Terra Alta.
The search for the missing in Valencia
Meanwhile, the search for missing people in the affected areas of Valencia resumed this morning. The death toll has increased to 222 deaths with the discovery of another five lifeless bodies, while the 17,000 security agents deployed in the Valencia region continue the search for the missing and collaborate in restoring services. The ABC news site reports the recovery of three dead on the beaches of Valencia by the Guardia Civil, including two on Sueca beach and one on Pinedo beach. The Guardia Civil found the body of a person overwhelmed by the water in a ditch in Catarroja. Rescuers also recovered the body of a victim in the Valencian city of Sedavi, inside the underground car park of a furniture store. On the services side, there is a slow return to normality. The authorities of the Generalitat Valenciana have announced the reopening of all schools tomorrow, with the exception of the three most affected neighborhoods of La Torre, Horno de Alcedo and Castellar-l’Oliveral. Schools and institutes will open almost a week after the extreme weather phenomenon, “unless weather warnings and indications recommend otherwise”, as specified by the municipal council of the capital of Turia. 72% of mobile phone users are connected to the network again, but at least 3 thousand homes remain in the dark. The Royal House has confirmed that it will visit the town of Chiva in the next few days, one of the most affected by Dana. The monarchs were supposed to go yesterday after the stop in Paiporta, but the visit was postponed.